Last week, the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival took over the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Horror fans and gorehounds got a chance to mingle with their favorite genre icons, get autographs and photos, take in Q&A panels, and more. While you may go to conventions for the celebrities or the films, many go for the MERCH! And there were countless vendors there offering anything a true horror fans could ask for. You had your standard t-shirts, pop-toys, and collectibles. But I want to highlight a few vendors who stood out amongst the sea of horror-themed merchandise.

First I was blown away by the craftsmanship of Tim Harris of T-M-Art Specialities. The native Texan was displaying some amazing metal crafts and wall hang displays featuring your favorite horror and pop culture imagery. My personal favorite was the JAWS shark, but there were also super cool Freddy, Michael Myers, and Ash lightswitch covers. Visit his FaceBook page or email him at t.martspecial@gmail.com for custom pieces.

Next up is a vendor who has gotten some of my money at each of the last two NJ Horror Cons, Frank’s Kid. Frank’s Kid Art is the perfect blend of the cartoons I grew up on with Scooby-Doo, Charlie Brown, and others of that ilk. Frank’s Kid combines those cartoon images with classic horror iconography to create truly original art pieces. I bought a Dream Warriors/Scooby-Doo inspired t-shirt as well as a Charlie Brown campfire frame with Lucy as Angela from Sleepaway Camp and a strategically placed marshmallow. Their work and art is great for helping ease younger kids into the horror genre. Check out their website.

Covering a convention is hard work and could be tiring. Thankfully, the folks at Deadly Grounds coffee were there offering free samples of a variety of their brews and selling their “Coffee to Die For.” I enjoyed the Dark and Deadly Roast as well as Hell’s Fury before taking home a bag of Colombian Supreme. Go to their getdeadly.com to order.

Finally, if you’re a friend of this site you’ve seen me talk at length about Ghost Girl Greetings. Laurie Necco and Toni Gabriele are killing it with their line of horror and pop culture themed greeting cards, prints, pins, and more. A particularly amazing convention weekend for the Ghost Girls, they debuted a Pet Sematary card, as well as an Angela-inspired Sleepaway Camp card and were able to give those to the actors, as well as their Happy Death Day card to the film’s writer Scott Lobdell. Check out the photo gallery below for some images. The Ghost Girls have an Etsy store where all their inventory is available to purchase online. They’ll also be live and in person vending at Horror Sideshow Market in Allentown, PA on Saturday, June 8, 2019.

New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival returns to the Showboat on the Atlantic City Boardwalk later this year, October 11th-13th. Check out their official site for more info.